We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laurena White. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laurena below.
Laurena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
When the administration changed in 2016, I knew that I had to pivot. The only thing I was sure of? I couldn’t go back to business as usual as a healthcare professional. After living in Cuba for eight years and Haiti for two years, my whole approach to health and wellness had changed and I was no longer the provider/practitioner/
From early on in the process, even before I graduated, I realized I was embarking on a path that many people had thought about, but had yet to execute: a bonafide integrative practice that utilized the synergy of traditional and conventional treatment modalities, not only for health and wellness, but also the key missing component… healing. My mentors were few and far between as they all realized it was too much work to set up a new model of care that was not supported by the healthcare system at large. So I literally paved my own way researching every aspect that I could about every aspect of building a firm from the ground up. I was literally on an island as there was no one who even desired to practice like I was thinking about. For every supportive person, there were at least three naysayers; however, the “haters” (as colloquial as it sounds) were my motivators.
The first six months were scary. More money was going out the windows than clientele was coming in the doors. I didn’t have the money for paid advertising, so I was literally marketing our firm through word of mouth, local community health fairs, women’s health events, and speaking engagements which was… EXHAUSTING! However, it paid off and even though the first six months had me thinking I had made a big mistake, each month thereafter, we continued to improve and grow.
I think everything happens for a specific reason, especially as it pertains to growth and development, so I don’t think I would have done anything differently. The one thing I was encouraged to do was hire an administrative assistant before I thought I was “ready” (i.e. before I could afford one). I definitely didn’t heed that advice and if I could go back, I would do so, probably not much earlier, but definitely earlier than I did.
For young professionals considering starting their own firm or practice… If you believe in yourself, then have the FULL confidence to BET ON YOURSELF while being ready to accept all the challenges that come along with your inevitable success. It’s definitely going to require blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears; however, your “why” depends on it.
Laurena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have over 20 years of service and experience in the field of women’s health ranging from birth doula to obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive endocrinology/infertility including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. I am a disruptor who is determined to change this industry from the inside-out and the bottom-up. As the managing director of The Eudaimonia Center, an integrative reproductive medicine and women’s health firm, I lead a team that facilitates the health, wellness, and healing of complex women’s health challenges including but not limited to uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, menopause, and fertility challenges without the use of unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs (including synthetic hormones) and fruitlessly invasive surgical interventions. In a country whose healthcare system falls woefully short of addressing the comprehensive needs of “the least of these”, namely Black women and their children, I aim to revolutionize the industry one healing experience at a time by being fertile ground in a barren land. Together with our team of superstars, we have reimagined what comprehensive women’s healthcare could and should be using a womanism paradigm. As a result, I integrated my practice by forming a synergistic flow between conventional medicine and traditional medicine healing modalities so the care women receive is not only transformative, but it’s also restorative.
I am literally proud of being able to offer our clients the options they need, the services they want, and the individualized treatment they desire as they embark on their health, wellness, and healing journeys. The majority of our clientele comes to the center as a last resort “hoping” that we can help. Collectively, we’re FACILITATORS of health, wellness, and healing. We’re not wizards. We’re not magicians. We’re not promising miracles yet we do help them come true because… WE WORK. However, the work is two-fold. There are no magic pills, no special supplements, and no shortcuts to the healing process. Our healthcare team is your best cheerleader, your accountability partner, and your support system IF you’re ready to put in the work.
We’ll tend the garden you didn’t even know you had, until you’re able to tend it for yourself.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Working on a bootstrap budget, my main goal when I first opened my firm was to do my best work which included providing the best personalized experience for everyone who crossed our threshold. I wanted each person, from the delivery person and cleaning personnel to the last client of the week to recognize that there was something different about me, something different about our team, and something different about our approach to their care even if they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. That was and still is the strategy even though it has evolved over the years.
Being a healing presence and providing a healing experience with every person we come in contact with over the course of the day, the week, the month, and now over the years, has been the most effective strategy for growing our clientele… and it was absolutely free of cost. Word of mouth business referrals have been the greatest gift to this firm because the community does the talking for us as we continue to walk the walk.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In the beginning stages of this firm, I wanted to be everything to everyone. Yes, I could work with you; however, everyone wasn’t a good fit for us and vice versa. With the earnest desire to help as many people as I could, I definitely accepted clients that were not aligned with our approach to health, wellness, and healing. I admittedly even brought on team members who were gifted with special talents, but who also didn’t have the work ethic needed to grow and build their craft.
I learned that not everyone was designed to be in alignment with my dream, the firm’s mission, and my overall vision because these things were given to me, not them. I had to lead with love while pivoting from a purely humanitarian perspective while navigating through life as a businesswoman.
One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned? That every person is in my life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. It’s up to me to determine which one that is without placing them in the incorrect column based on my personal needs, wants, and desires.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laurenawhite.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeudaimoniacenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theeudaimoniacenter
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurena-white/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/eu_daimonism
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-eudaimonia-center-columbia